Paradise Lost
by Broheken
Summary: adapted from john miltons epic poem Parasdise lost...
1. Morning Star

**The smell of burning fuel and charred metal suffocated the sky that day. The ear splitting roar of burning thrusters could be heard echoing across shredded streets. The streets…… oh how they burned….. Littered with flesh bound to broken bones…… police franticly tried to evacuate what was left of the population. A small boy looked on from the corner of a street….. Just a block away several missiles impacted the ground and sprayed the building in front of it. A NEXT slid to a stop and fired off a few rounds from his machine guns…. **

**There was a heavy thud and the earth shook causing the boy to fall. he looked up in time to see the charred NEXT's arm drop to the ground as a beam of light ripped through the building behind him and thin out into nothing. The thunderous roar of boosters activating deafened him. A much heavier looking NEXT decorated in soft white and blue pastels and a single crystal blue eye slid in front of him and brushed the NEXT's hand aside and impaled his large burning blade deep into it's neck. **

**The boy watched as the blade sunk in…. the fallen machine pitifully tried to grasp the other's head as it slowly sank to the ground. The larger NEXT's single eye ran along the LED strip and stopped on him….. As his blade shattered and retreated back in to his forearm a small trail of fire followed him as his entire body slowly and gracefully turned towards him, the single bright eye subtly returned to the middle of its head. A second machine soared over him and landed at his side…. This one was a dark silver and was a light weight Mech. **

**It leaned forward and used it's thrusters to glide across the street towards entrance. The boy was knocked down by it's sheer velocity. He stared up at them from the ground several other enemy NEXT swarmed around the large glacier colored giant like locust and followed the dark NEXT towards the tunnel out of the city. The NEXT stepped forward with a heavy thud and boosted forward, as the little boy stared when it passed by its over boost began charging. The very energy from the air was condensed into it and concentrated and was released…….. For a split second his burning wings stretched out then vanished into concentrated pillars of fire.**


	2. Broken Eve

The orange lights from the tunnel glowed over the NEXT's armor as is boosted towards his army. The other mechs parted in his wake as he made his way towards the dark NEXT. The lynx inside gripped his joysticks and smiled in anticipation of what lied ahead. His cockpit was a pitched black save for the flat screen that surrounded him giving a full 180 degree field of vision. The various switches over his head were encircled with bright blue LED lights and so were numerous buttons around the side of the arm rests.

When he glanced to his left the imaged on his screen focused on his companion's machine, a green reticle immediately formed over his core showing an approximate distance from himself. "so Beelz…. Are you ready?" he asked softly and deep. In the other cockpit Beelzebub scoffed "Lucifer…" his voice was deep, warm and kind "I've stood by you through everything…. I will not abandon you now" Lucifer softly chuckled and smiled softly, subtly shaking his head. His long straight blond bangs swayed over his eyes. His deep crystal green eyes pierced through them and the screen refocused on the end of the tunnel. "thank you…"

Outside the tunnel…… stood several ACs and two NEXTs. One a medium weight armed with a long ranged high-powered laser rifle a linear sniper rifle upon her back, dual 12 missile per shot launcher system combined with deadly missile support upon it's shoulders, her elegance and swagger was but a front for the bringer of death. It had a subtlest of lavender hinted onto it's mostly white armor yet it was undeniable.

Next to her stood a heavy weight juggernaut, his arms bared on it's left a powerful laser and on the other a devastating grenade launcher. Upon it's back on the right a larger grenade launcher idly waited to unleash impending doom and on his left, a high end HI-energy laser beam canon. Its armor was onyx colored with golden trimmings and blood red joints. It's single nuclear green eye stared down the dark tunnel.

An older looking man around his forties calmly took steady breaths, he flexed his fingers around his joysticks. And clenched his jaw. The lynx from the lavender NEXT gripped her controls hard and glared at her screen. Her short curly blonde hair parted down the middle giving her a smooth boyish face. Her cockpit was lighted and everything was washed in white, her pants and blouse were somehow brighter than her cockpit. Her blouse hung loose over her small bust. Her intercom chirped….

"Gabriel……" a warm voice called. Gabriel took a deep breath and glanced at the NEXT beside her, "relax ……." Gabriel closed her bright blue eyes and sighed deeply… and smiled "thanks Michael…. That's……." her radar blinked, two red dots sped towards them. "they're coming…….." Michael said sternly. Gabriel raised her weapons and immediately fired two shots.


	3. As The Sky Burns

From a few miles out Lucifer saw them coming and he smiled. He veered to his left and a split second before they hit him he quick boosted right then immediately boosted forward. The shot missed completely the laser nearly grazed his arm but shattered against one of the ACs behind him. Beelzebub watched the mech skid across the ground and explode engulfing him in flames as he boosted through the inferno. He laughed and activated his Gatling guns, inside… the reticle chirped around the black mech and his screen magnified around it and he started firing.

Both Michael and Gabriel took evasive actions and the AC's moved forward. Michael's cannons lowered and bounced to a stop. He took a split second to aim and boosted back. The laser fired off three simultaneous shots that interlaced each other and was closely followed by a large shell. The laser shot down an AC and the shell exploded in front of Beelzebub engulfing him in a mammoth cloud of fire but he managed to boost away continuing his steady fire.

Lucifer's NEXT glided across the ground and flexed it's arm, a large energy blade burst out and lazily slashed an AC across the hip. He boosted forward and sliced an AC in front of him in half and as his arm swung back he carefully extended his energy rifle and fired instinctively even before the cursor chirped. Gabriel instinctively glanced at the oncoming round and watched it come into focus as she quick boosted out of the way and started firing off sniper rounds.

Lucifer's NEXT was grazed in the arm but continued moving forward and fired off a few more rounds, Beelzebub switched his shoulder weapons and brought up his dual machine guns and went full automatic on several Acs, the dark silver NEXT blew past them as they fell and concentrated it's fire on the heavy mech in front of him. They past the threshold into the cavernous hallway laced with enormous, decorated pillars. Lights seem to shine from the very walls. The black and gold mech was hovering a backward a few feet off the ground while firing off grenades at Lucifer. Beelz's rounds hit Michael's core hard, leaving dents and chipping off flints of armor.

The giant mech stopped and dropped to the ground, it's LED eye quickly turned to him and his head every so subtly followed. Without looking away from him he fired off a round at Lucifer and hit him in the shoulder, completely drowning him in fire. Beelz stuttered for a split second and began firing, the bullets glanced off a few feet from him sending small ripples through the air all around him. He raised his energy rifle and fired.

Beelz stopped and quickly boosted left, the round ripping off the tip of his shoulder. Beelz angrily hissed but kept strafing around the large mech. A sharp pop slapped his arm away and the mech looked up in time to see the lavender colored NEXT crashed and slid in front of him and fired off it's sniper rifles, the laser ripped into the core and the linear rifle clipped the top of it's core, and just as quickly Gabriel boosted away and into the air.

Gabriel kept Beelz locked as her missiles loaded, it took less than a second for the crosshairs to blink on top of each other. As her NEXT fell back towards the ground she suddenly fired off a cloud of missiles that blocked out the deep green lights. Beelz watched as the missiles came down. He lifted his machine guns and started firing, two missiles exploded in mid air but the rest remained unfettered. Out of nowhere and a split second before the missiles hit Lucifer rammed his NEXT into him shoving both of them out of the way. The missiles shattered on the ground one after the other intensifying the inferno with each one.

Beelz strafed forward and Lucifer skidded forward while turning a full 180 degrees towards Michael who suddenly activated his large grenade launcher. Beelz stared after him as he engaged Michael….."thanks" he whispered.


	4. Krieg

Lucifer rushed in towards Michael and screamed as he shaded at him. Michael quick-boost backwards and to his right. As time slowed and Lucifer's NEXT missed her mark, Michael gently drifted out of the way to let him pass. When momentum brought the next in front of each other both NEXT instinctively raised their arms and blindly fired into one another. The energy rounds ripped through primal armor completely shattering it into shards of pure energy and caught each other full in the chest, the blast so bright it blinded both of them. Lucifer strafed away, Michael casually closed his eyes and turned away while doing the same.

Beelzebub crashed down to the ground and skidded back as he continuously fired at Gabriel who soared overhead firing round after round. Beelz switched to his secondary weapons, the NEXT's arms lowered and the Gatling guns upon his shoulders lowered and immediately began pulling off rounds. He carefully hesitated for a moment, the empty shells raining down and cascading onto the cold steel.

Gabriel gasped "oh shit!" and let her self drop down to the ground but the steady muted thunk of rounds ripping her NEXT's armor grew heavier with every breath. She glanced at her AP and clenched her jaw as she watched it dwindle down. With a quick boost to the left then to the right she threw off his steady flow and fired off two rounds. Beelz easily evaded the shots and completely jaded her, focusing his attention on Michael.

The heavily armored NEXT was suddenly bombarded with munitions. Lucifer attacked from above while Beelz attacked from the side. The first energy round ripped through his primal armor with the steady stream of bullets from Beelz and the deafening explosions from Lucifer left him unable to react.

Beelz screamed into the air "Lucifer go… I'll take care of them."

Lucifer ever so subtly nodded as he floated down to the ground and backed towards the end of the majestic hall. Gabriel fired a few rounds and only landed one but he was unfettered. As she smashed into Beelz she glanced in time to see Lucifer disappear behind an automatic reinforced door.


	5. Heavens Gate

It was cold…

His heart was all he could feel as it beat with fear.

So cold….

His fingers gripped the controls tighter with ever passing moment.

His heart beat grew more profound with each one… almost deafening….

The lights from over head glowed over him momentarily illuminating him. His glare was set far ahead of him. The tunnel's end grew larger. With every passing second he could see Heaven's Gate grow close. Even from a distance it's soft milky glow swirled about, a wall of pure Kojima energy blocked the entrance. No one has ever even attempted to go through without the gatekeeper's blessing.

As he neared his NEXT suddenly stuttered and Lucifer's entire body was suddenly in shock as the concentrated Kojima particles ran through him. It intensified with every passing inch he got closer to the gate, he was almost there. He gasped in pain as it got closer, clenching his jaw he suddenly screamed out and flicked his over boost.

The Kojima energy in the air was concentrated even further and within a split second the over boost exploded rocketing the next at an impossible speed, Lucifer momentarily lost consciousness as he shot forward but in his subconscious he pulled his blade trigger and in a delirious state he screamed with everything in his soul and lunged.

The blade upon the NEXT's arm erupted as a impossibly large blade ripped out from it and dug deep into the wall. The NEXT's arm started to violently tremble as the Kojima energy started to gently peel off the armor from its fingers and Lucifer watched it creep up it's wrist then its for arm. In pure rage he screamed and the NEXT slashed open a scar into the wall. He screamed in agonizing pain as he pushed him self through. The pain was so much so that his brain could not rationalize it and so it momentarily shut down. As his vision slowly crept from him he looked out into the abyss. The image of Michael Gabriel and himself hugging each other and silently laughing at something he could not remember lingered.


	6. And So He Fell

Wake….

He opened his eye with a sudden burst or rejuvenating energy and gasped for breath in amazement. He looked at his illuminated dashboard and smiled. Glancing out he was taken aback and literally gasped. On the other side of the wall was a steady ocean of pure energy, like the entire universe was fit into this insanely large sphere of concentrated power.

The NEXT looked around like a small child not knowing in which direction to look first. Off into the middle of the gargantuan sphere a drastically smaller sphere gracefully floated in space. It was surrounded by a soft white clouds and random sparks of energy would run across it like static. Lucifer hissed, the NEXT suddenly boosted into the air, and with the grace of a dove soared towards it.

As he neared it he realized that the small sphere was emanating from the chest of a NEXT. It had weapons and parts he has never seen before and its was just floating there with it's arms spread apart as if it were floating on water. As he came closer towards the NEXT his blade shot out.

He rose high over the next and drew back his arm, but as Lucifer began his world slowed.

He looked down upon the sphere and saw it gently thin. Within, at the heart of the concentrated sphere of pure energy sat a young woman, she sat upon the core of the floating NEXT. Her legs were drawn and her arms were hugging them close. Her chin rested upon her knees and she appeared to be staring at something. Everything in Heaven's Gate emanated from her, the energy the Kojima… the power. People always told him that she was so powerful her body had become the purist form of energy, infinite, pure, it is proven her essence alone could power surrounding cities for two or three days even change the very fabric of nature time …and space. This world was at her will for she was god.

But he didn't care…

His time was here…

His chance was at his finger tips….

Revenge for all the lies he was told….

For everything being taken from him…..

His world …..

His love….

He screamed…

The NEXT plunged his harm into the sphere and straight at her.

And then she glanced at him…

And then he knew…

He didn't win against her army…

He didn't defeat Michael….

Or Gabriel….

She let him…

She let him survive entering heavens gate…

The blade was within arms length of her when everything suddenly stopped….

She leaned forward and stood slowly, without looking away from Lucifer. Even though he was still inside his NEXT he was sure she was looking right at him. She ever so gently rose off the ground towards him, her toe leaving the cold steel of her NEXT. As she past through the field of energy it respectfully parted in her wake and softly tried to hug at her legs. The energy seemed to be sucked from her very body. The blue glow from her face waned and her smooth dark skin emerged.

She returned to her normal appearance as she floated past the NEXT's blade and up it's arm. She leaned back a bit, her legs moving in front of her, as her bare foot neared the NEXT's core it silently and almost instantly evaporated like a drop of water on a forest fire, leaving Lucifer completely exposed. Her feet touched his dashboard. He watched her crouch in front of him in pure awe. She leaned in close and he could see her face clearly.

His whole life he imagined what it would be like to stand before her, to see what she looked like. After she chose someone else over him he was truly heartbroken and hated her for it. Took her angels and turned them against her unjust rule and dictatorship. So here she stands before him and in his heart he knew she should be furious with him. He was expecting to see rage in her eyes but when he finally mustered the courage to look upon her he found that it was not there.

He looked upon her and found the look of disappointment a loving mother would give a child she had so much hope for. She softly cupped his face in her soft hands, the energy she left behind was catching up, he watched it engulf her once again, her face changing back into a glowing form of energy. His heart suddenly felt a twang of shame… like a child knowing he had done something wrong. She bit her bottom lip and shook her head and turned away.

He suddenly realized he was crying. The tears just rolling down his face and he couldn't control it he just sat their in his cockpit shaking and sobbing as she stood and turned. She softly rose off the NEXT and levitated in the air and took in a deep breath and closed her eyes as a single tear rolled down her face.

The world went completely mute…

There was only pain…

And light….

A wind of energy hit Lucifer with the force of anti-matter and his NEXT was dismantled at the atomic level. As he was ripped from heavens gate he caught a glimpse of Beelzebub's NEXT being partially ripped apart as it was also dragged away along with all of his followers. Michael and Gabriel could do nothing but gasp for air and stare at each other.

He couldn't feel anything but pain and fire…for seven days.

All in a blink of an eye….

When he opened his eyes he was still shaking from the numbing pain. He was on his back and the ground was burning. All around him jagged rocks incased him. He managed to turn over and painfully push himself up. He staggered his first step but kept his footing. The world around him was engulfed in fire and death. Sent to ground zero…. The birth of Kojima, where the oceans were dried and filled with lakes of fire and molten steel. As he looked around at all the thousands imprisoned he clenched his jaw… Beelzebub groaned as he stood, and winced as he staggered towards Lucifer's side.

One of the AC pilots coughed "maybe we could ask for forgiveness maybe she'…" he asked. Before Lucifer could react Beelzebub turned and belted the man in the face with enough force to dislocate the man's jaw sending him sprawling on the floor. Beelz angrily spat upon the man's body in disgust and turned to Lucifer. Lucifer looked up at the black sulfur infected sky.

In utter rage he forced himself to breath and he turned to Lucifer. "I don't think she can be defeated." Lucifer took a deep breath and let the air burn in his lungs "I don't regret it…" he said simply. Beelz nodded "me neither." Lucifer turned to Beelzebub and slightly smiled.

Beelzebub nodded with a broad smile.

"lu…"

"nah…. My names Satan now…"

Beelzebub's smile grew brighter and he nodded coolie.

"Satan… we will think of something."

"that we will… that we will… and besides…"

He turned to look at the dark nightmarish landscape of broken jagged rocks burning and violently exploding volcanoes "tis better to rule in hell than to serve in heaven…."


End file.
